


Solitude, However Brief

by grimdarkpixels



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Hand Jobs, Heavy Petting, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Smut, Mild Spoilers, Non-Penetrative Sex, Porn with Feelings, Sexual Interfacing, josh doesnt have genitals, markus is fucking STRESSED, this ship is so Fuckin underrated yall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 15:03:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15997694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimdarkpixels/pseuds/grimdarkpixels
Summary: Of course. Certain models of domestic assistant androids were designed with genitalia, and Markus was one of them. More specialised androids, like gardeners or teachers, weren’t given such modifications, having been deemed unnecessary.Though, apparently, that didn’t exempt said androids from feeling lust.





	Solitude, However Brief

North and Simon left the control room, leaving Josh and Markus alone, along with the tension of the situation and their argument.

Markus leaned over the control panel and let out a heavy sigh, the weight on his shoulders felt like it was going to crush him at any moment. Josh’s eyes bored into his back and burned him in a way that left no scars. The creaking of the panel under his own weight sounded magnified.

All the stress of being a leader fighting an uphill battle was getting under his skin. Burrowing into his central processor, scrambling his thoughts. Josh was right - he wasn’t thinking clearly. North’s parting words to him rang loud and clear in his mind.

_“If you keep reaching out to them when all they feel for us is contempt, our people will disappear forever. I hope you know what you’re doing, Markus…”_

_Did_ Markus know what he was doing? It felt like he was making the wrong decisions at every turn. Was he doing the right thing? Was he truly fit to lead in circumstances so dire? Or was he just overthinking?

No matter the case, all this stress would -- quite literally -- kill him if he didn’t do something about it.

“They’ve been butchering each other for centuries based on the color of their skin or whatever god they wanted to worship…they’re not going to change. If they can’t even treat each other equally, what chance do we have?” Markus wondered aloud.

Markus felt the energy behind Josh’s gaze change and become softer, to his quiet relief.

“Most humans turned away from injustice eventually. It’s just a matter of time and patience.”

“How much of that do we have _left,_ Josh?” he snipped. His voice came out sharp and tense, surprising himself. “I can’t fight like this forever. It feels like I’m an ant being expected to carry a mountain. I just don’t have that amount of strength left…”

The sound of the taller android’s footsteps made Markus turn around and look up at him. The reassurance and sympathy in Josh’s face was almost overpowering, but Markus forced himself not to look away.

“They need to know how much they’re hurting us. Find the right words, and they _will_ listen. I’m sure of it,” Josh assured.

Markus found the bubbling turmoil inside him being quelled by Josh’s voice. His body relaxed slightly, tension melted away that Markus didn't even notice until it was gone.

“I…” Josh continued, his eyes flitting to the ground quickly. He tugged the hem of his shirt; a nervous tic Markus had noticed some time ago, but never became any less endearing, in his eyes.

Josh sighed and reinitiated eye contact. “Whatever happens, I want you to know… For what it’s worth, I’m glad I met you.”

The gentle tone Josh spoke in, his uncertain body language, it all radiated such calming energy that Markus wasn’t sure he could bear to accept that he would have to leave, eventually. He couldn’t lose this. He couldn’t lose _Josh._

Markus closed his eyes with the realisation. Josh meant so much to him. Everything he’d gone through had pushed him towards pacifism, towards hiding where it’s safe. Every time Josh had gone against Markus’ idea of what was right, it was done with their people’s safety in mind.

Markus knew he would never regret taking a stand, but he had taken away Josh’s safety in the process.

Josh meant _so much_ to him, he couldn’t stand doing wrong by him anymore. But it was too late to turn back, to shrink back into the darkness until they stood a chance of succeeding. The best he could do now is protect Josh with all he had, let him know that he couldn’t bear to lose him.

And Markus knew one way to do exactly that. They’d done it once before; a few days ago, on that snowy rooftop overlooking the city.

Markus lifted his hand to coax Josh’s hand from his side. The taller man caught on to his intentions and shedded his skin, Markus doing the same.

The first time they’d interfaced, it was overwhelming. It was like they’d seen an entire lifetime play out in a few seconds, felt every single emotion, every impact wound, every sharp spike of betrayal and fear and anger.

This time, the feelings were less turbulent. Not necessarily more pleasant, but more tolerable. Cathartic, even.

 _Worry, fear, doubts, discontent, sadness, stress, worry_ echoed through their connection on a perfect loop. Josh, it seemed, had the same reservations and fears as Markus.

It calmed him to know that.

Though they were connected for mere seconds, it felt like minutes as they heard each other’s innermost thoughts. The negativity, the fear, eventually bled into _calm, forgiveness, love, comfort, warmth, closeness, strength, together, love._

Markus was so caught up in the current of feelings that he almost didn’t notice Josh slowly leaning down, scanning his face almost nervously, trying to gauge Markus’ reaction. He heard Josh’s thoughts through their connection. _Is it too soon? Is there time?_

_I’d really like to kiss you._

So Markus let him.

He’d never considered such a thing at length before, but kissing Josh was…nice. His lips tingled pleasantly, most of his stress evaporating as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He put his free hand on Josh’s shoulder to stabilise himself, the thought of how weird it was to give androids differing heights quickly crossing his mind before being stamped out by the onslaught of feelings pouring through their conjoined hands and lips.

And then, all too soon, Josh pulled away, and Markus was left feeling almost empty in an indescribable way. Something curled in his gut, some ache that he couldn’t understand.

He wanted more. He needed more of this, more of Josh. He wouldn’t be able to focus until he got what he wanted. The stress would return as soon as Josh left. He couldn't bear to go back to that, not yet.

Josh attempted to retract his hand just as Markus’ own hurried to link their fingers together. Josh gave him a slightly puzzled look before he moved his other hand to the back of Josh’s neck and stood on his tiptoes, allowing him to connect their lips once again. He poured so much desperation and meaning into it that Josh stumbled backwards. He squeezed Josh’s hand hard, like if he let go for even a second Josh would vanish into thin air.

_Love, need, warmth, desire, desperation, attachment, heat, want_

_I need you. I can’t lose you. I can’t stand to do wrong by you. I just need you safe and happy._

_I don’t want to think about the rest right now. I just want you. I want to stay like this. I want this. I want, I want, I want, I want, **I need--**_

Markus pushed Josh backwards until his back was pressed against the counter beside the control panel. Their lips parted again and Josh’s eyes fluttered open, unfocused and almost startled. The sight made the something in Markus’ gut curl again. They weren’t overheating, though their breathing patterns seemed to have gotten heavier.

Josh’s eyes searched Markus’ face, the eye contact almost unbearably intimate compared to just a few minutes ago. He swallowed hard, and Markus could barely make out the beginnings of a blue flush on his cheeks.

“This is…awkward,” Josh breathed, a nervous smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Markus cocked his head in questioning, his stare doing nothing to ease Josh’s flustered behavior.

“I just… I want…more. I want to do more than this, but I don’t think we can,” he explained.

Markus’ face fell just a little, and he hoped Josh didn’t notice. “Why not?”

“We don’t have time. And I don’t…I’m not…”

Josh trailed off, and okay, he was definitely blushing now. Markus was curious, but didn’t want to force Josh to talk if he didn’t want to. He settled for pushing _reassurance, calmness, comfort_ through their link.

“I’m not ‘equipped’ for more than this,” Josh finished.

Of course. Certain models of domestic assistant androids were designed with genitalia, and Markus was one of them. (Carl later explained to him that Kamski hadn’t known what he’d intended to use Markus for, but it evidently wasn’t _that._ ) More specialised androids, like gardeners or teachers, weren’t given such modifications, having been deemed unnecessary.

Though, apparently, that didn’t exempt said androids from feeling lust.

Markus hummed in understanding. “It’s okay. We don’t need to go further than this right now.”

“I know…but I _want_ to. I want to feel you…” he whispered, desire dripping from his every word. The something coiled in Markus’ gut uncomfortably. His pants definitely weren’t this tight a few minutes ago.

Markus once heard that all androids are made from the same basic template. Even if Josh didn’t have any external pieces down there, he probably still had the sensors.

There was one way to find out, as long as Josh was comfortable with it.

Markus’ free hand reached down to pat Josh’s hip. “Sit down,” he said, though his tone made it sound more like a question. Wordlessly, Josh obeyed, lifting his hips until he could comfortably sit on the counter behind him.

Josh watched with lidded eyes as Markus reluctantly gave up the connection to lower his hands to Josh’s belt. He glanced up to make eye contact with Josh once more. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” Josh replied, despite still not being entirely sure what Markus was planning to do.

Deft fingers undid Josh’s belt and unzipped his jeans, then carefully slid them down just enough to expose him. Just as he’d said, there was nothing there; just a featureless mound of dark skin, slightly shaped to give the illusion of genitalia.

Markus was transfixed.

“Stop staring,” Josh mumbled. His hands balled into fists beside him and his head was turned away, clearly feeling self-conscious. Markus’ expression softened in sympathy and he cupped Josh’s cheek, gently tilting his face to look back at him.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a part of you,” Markus assured, planting another gentle kiss to Josh’s lips.

“Where are you going with this, anyway?”

“I want to make you feel good.” Markus slid one of his hands between Josh’s legs and smiled when he heard the other man’s breath catch. Apparently he hadn’t expected to be able to feel much of anything there. “If you’ll let me.”

Josh licked his lips, thinking it over in his head, before looking up at Markus again and nodding his permission.

“Yes. I trust you.”

Josh’s consent was all he needed. He retracted the skin on his hand, the effect spreading to Josh’s groin. All the need Markus felt, he transferred into the connection, and the reaction it earned was even better than Markus had hoped for.

Josh shook and his legs parted slightly without his input. “Oh,” he gasped, eyes falling shut. “ _Oh,_ Markus, that’s…”

“Good?” Markus asked. His voice felt thicker, somehow, but he didn’t care to read into the reason.

Josh nodded and gasped out, “More than.”

Markus felt Josh’s heat and need through their connection, and it nearly had Markus’ head spinning. He managed to concentrate, however, and fed Josh’s pleasure back to him, causing his back to arch even more, a quiet moan leaving his lips. The current of feeling kept building up, and Markus kept sending more pleasure through Josh’s sensors in a self-sustaining loop that made both men almost dizzy.

“H-Hang on,” Josh stuttered. “Let me…”

His hands reached down and undid Markus’ fly, reaching into his pants and pulling out his twitching cock. He began stroking Markus slowly, experimentally, and Markus’ eyes fluttered shut at the contact.

“ _Shit,_ Josh,” he hissed, involuntarily bucking into Josh’s hand. He caught a glimpse of a lopsided grin on Josh’s face right before he tightened his grasp and swiped his thumb across the head. Markus rewarded the motion with an undignified moan.

“Fuck--! Keep doing that.”

Josh didn’t reply, not trusting his own voice, but he obeyed, squeezing the tip of Markus’ dick on every upstroke. Markus focused as much as he could on sending waves of his own pleasure through the connection; he wanted Josh to know he was making him feel this way, filling him with _heat, need, love, desire, lust._

They continued rocking against each other’s hands, chasing delicious friction and secondhand pleasure like it was the last time they’d get to experience it. A possibility, Markus realised, that wasn’t out of the question.

If the revolution failed, this might be the only chance they get to be this intimate. They had to make it count, even though the situation was so dire.

Markus cupped the back of Josh’s head and slammed their lips together.

Fuck the revolution. Fuck the humans. Fuck Jericho. Fuck everything that wasn’t in this room, everything that wasn’t Josh.

(Well, fuck Josh especially. That’s sort of what they were doing, right? Did this count as sex if one of them didn’t technically have the parts? Markus wanted to think it did.)

Josh’s tongue swiped against Markus’ bottom lip, eliciting a soft keen from the deviant leader’s mouth as he parted his lips for Josh. Their tongues dragged against one another, pressing together and intertwining in such addicting ways. They danced the line between being gentle and loving and reverent, like nothing else in the world mattered as long as they could stay like this, and being fiery and passionate and desperate, like the world was crashing down around them and this was their one respite.

In this instance, both sides were equally true.

Time slowed down to what felt like blissful infinity as they revelled in each other’s feelings and thoughts, in being so deeply connected that it was hard to tell where one of them ended and the other began.

Markus started sliding his hand up and down across Josh’s pelvis and felt a wave of pride when Josh gasped hard into his mouth, his pleasure climbing higher. He tried to push the feeling back through their connection, but he just couldn’t keep himself focused for long enough anymore. He attempted to make up for it by rubbing his palm harder against Josh - which worked like a charm, if the litany of "oh" and "yes" and "Markus" was any indication.

Pleasure coiled in Markus' stomach cavity, white-hot and ready to burst. His release was creeping up on him faster than he’d expected. He moaned brokenly in the back of his throat, sucking hard on Josh's tongue.

And then Josh broke the kiss panting hard, a dribble of artificial saliva slipping out the corner of his mouth. His eyes were glazed and looked almost entirely black. At some point, his free hand had found purchase on Markus’ jacket, bunching the fabric in his fist.

“Mark…fuhhck…” he slurred. If he could hardly string a word together, then he was probably also close to release.

“You okay?” Markus choked out, pressing his palm into Josh’s crotch harder to in an attempt to bring him off faster. The movement made Josh whine in the back of his throat, his pace on Markus’ cock faltering for a second.

“Yes… I’m… _oh--_ I think… I’m…close…”

“I can tell-- _nnh…_ I’m close too. I’m so c-- _ah!_ Cl-Close, I’m close too…”

Markus’ tongue felt like lead. He leaned forward until his forehead was touching Josh’s.

“Let go for me, I’ve got you, it’s okay.” Markus couldn’t tell if he said it aloud or sent it into the connection, but he was sure the message got through either way. He ground his palm harder against Josh and struggled to keep his eyes open. He wanted to watch when Josh fell over the edge.

And fall he did. One final current of pleasure overloaded Josh’s sensors and he writhed wildly, thighs clamping around Markus’ hand. His back arched hard and his jaw dropped open as he gasped harshly, like the air had been knocked from his lungs. The look he gave Markus as he hit his climax was full of desire, love, but most strongly (and most disarmingly) vulnerability.

He was _gorgeous._

Markus made certain to store the memory of Josh’s face in this moment before he fell off the edge too, thick streaks of synthetic cum falling over Josh’s hand and onto his featureless pelvis as a loud moan tore itself from Markus’ lips. His hips bucked erratically as he rode out his orgasm, moving his free hand to Josh’s cheek.

“Josh, _Josh!_ Fuck, Josh, I love you, _I love you,_ ” Markus babbled, his words barely a whisper.

He heard Josh gasp in reply, but he didn’t respond verbally.

The air was quiet and they laid motionless as they caught their breath, their bodies struggling to rein in their internal temperatures while the high dissipated.

Once his system recalibrated, Markus withdrew his hand from Josh and let his skin climb back, watching as Josh’s skin returned as well. He tucked himself back into his pants and stood up a little straighter, while Josh looked at his hand in equal disgust and curiosity. Markus’ cum clung to his fingers as he brought his fingers apart and together again. Then he reached out with his other hand to pull at Markus’ jacket and--

“Hey!” Markus yelped as Josh wiped his hand on the back of Markus’ undercoat.

“You have other clothes. And if I’m covered in it, it’s only fair,” Josh retorted, glancing down at the white droplets on his groin.

Markus opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it. It didn’t matter; his undercoat was white anyway, and it wasn’t like anyone would see it. And they had more important things to focus on.

His face fell. He’d shared a blissful moment of peace with Josh, but it couldn’t last. The revolution was in its final hours, and they both had to play their parts. Markus stepped back enough to let Josh stand up and do up his jeans. He gave Markus a lingering look, then his eyes retreated to the floor.

“I’ll…go and join the others.”

Josh reluctantly walked across to the exit, then turned back as he reached the door to look at Markus one more time.

“Look after yourself. I… Uh… I don’t want to lose you,” he confessed, though his hesitation and tone of voice made it sound like he meant to say something else. Before Markus could ask, though, Josh was gone.

Markus sighed and leaned over the control panel again, the stress from earlier starting to creep into the corners of his mind. Just as he considered letting his face drop into his hands, he felt Josh’s presence in his mind, establishing wireless communication.

_“I love you too, Markus. I just…need you to know that.”_

And upon hearing that, Markus smiled faintly. Despite the circumstances. Despite the stress. Despite having full responsibility over the revolution’s success.

And despite the dire events that were to unfold mere minutes from now.

**Author's Note:**

> yall keep sleeping on josh and i cant pretend to be better or anything because i dont have a lot of ideas for this pairing tragically enough
> 
> but god im begging you guys to give him a chance hes been through so much and he deserves a hug


End file.
